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preview :: fifa 08
FIFA 08
Reviewed on: Xbox 360Available on: , PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation Portable
Yug flies to Sydney to preview the latest EA game at their media event, and discovers all the new and improved features and graphics.
Players: 1-4 Players
Genre:
Release: 2007-08-27
Genre:
Release: 2007-08-27
Developer: EA
Distributor: EA
Distributor: EA
I hope you all had a laugh at Matt’s stories and anecdotes about our trip to the FIFA 08 event, because not knowing a thing about soccer (nay, sports) games in general meant he had practically no interest or desire to play the game itself.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait.
You may remember my review of the FIFA World Cup many moons ago, way back when Australia was gripped in the epidemic known as ‘world cup fever’. After our crushing defeat to the theatrical Italians, I – like many others – picked up a copy of FIFA World Cup, determined to relive the event but with an Australian victory like outcome.
What I found out was that playing soccer games was a lot of fun.
Fast forward to the present day, and while my real life soccer skills are probably still sadly on par with my gaming soccer skills, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on play with FIFA 08.
Take to the field playing as A-Leage teams such as Melbourne Victory.
First up though, we were fortunate enough to have Andrew Wilson, Producer for FIFA 08, showcasing the game to us and pointing out the 5 new features to take note of:
1. Control
Of course, individual ball physics came into play with FIFA 07, but there’s been a lot of requested tweaks and features that make a huge difference. The player can now move laterally with the ball, perform a body feint, step over the ball, and many other impressive movements. In fact, the most impressive feature is the new ball control, featuring a technique not unlike many other current EA games, where you control the movements of the ball and the character by holding the left trigger and moving the right joystick. The possible combinations are vast, and if you time it right the amount of moves you can pull off is fluid and impressive. This is the kind of thing people will waste hours practicing combinations then uploading the videos to the internet (an inbuilt feature of the game in fact).
2. AI
The AI in a sports game is a lot more complex than you think. Each character on the field is evaluating 35 decisions every single frame of play. That’s around 1000 decisions made every second. This is the sort of thing that can only be achieved on the next gen systems, and means that there will be no more ‘cheap tactics’ that give you the ability to score easy goals every game.
3. Content
30 leagues. 600 teams. We’re talking 25% larger than previous versions. Oh, and of course the inclusion of the A-League. That’s kind of a big deal.
4. New ways to Play
Probably the most interesting and ambitious new feature is the ‘Be a Pro’ mode. The game sets you up as a standard player in an allocated position, and you play as the same character through the entire game. No switching to other players, and no moving out of your allocated area. If you’re on the wing, that’s where you stay. If you’re the goalie, you won’t be running up front to try and score a goal. The theory is that eventually people will form regulated teams where each person has a defined position, and they will play as a team would online. Most ambitious is the fact that this mode will only be offered as an offline training mode in FIFA 08, yet EA hope to tweak and get the mode working enough for future versions in order to provide international competitions in 2010.
Their main problem currently is tweaking the mode so it’s fun, and so if you play it online with people you don’t know, everyone at least ‘tries’ to play their positions as opposed to just picking Ronaldo and running straight for the ball. This mode also introduces an intuitive ‘behind the character’ camera angle, arrows suggesting where you need to be to provide optimal support for your team, and a nice little touch where the camera sinks down low and does the ‘Gears of War’ style movement when you have the ball and start running with it.
5. Online
The Interactive Leagues are back, this time with custom leagues, however no 5 by 5 play in Australia. Something to do with Australia having different servers, it seems we are stuck with 11 x 11. Of interest and previously mentioned are the capabilities to upload videos to the EA website, so if you do something cool in the game, you can record it and post it simply through the Xbox or PlayStation online networks.
That's some seriously detailed hammys
All of those new features are exciting of course, but it was time for me to get some actual hands on time with the game itself. First things first, it is pretty when up close to the characters. The new ball control is fluid and convincing, and the movement of the players doesn’t feel stilted or harsh in the slightest. The ball control itself takes a bit of getting used to, but after a bit of time on the practice pitch I managed to do a front flip rainbow kick – a Ronaldo signature move – which made me jump up and down like a little schoolgirl.
The 11 x 11 game I played was a bit of a blur, as it took me awhile to get used to the controls again. The ball control seems a bit tough to pull off while mid game, although that might just be because I was a bit clumsy while attempting the moves. Anyone who previously used the d-pad to control players is out of luck, as it isn’t supported and probably won’t be again anytime soon – an issue that I really don’t think is an issue at all.
I can’t remember if this was in previous versions or not, but one of the most handy features I found while playing was the little marker that appears on the ground when the ball is in the air that indicated where it’s going to land. Being able to direct my players to the marker as opposed to guessing where the ball would land made things heaps easier, and consequently a lot more fun.
Red Bull giving the players wings could be an unfair advantage in the final build.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the fact I’m currently on a detox, I was unable to test the 4 player ‘sitting on a couch with mates while drinking’ capabilities of the game, however as soon as I get my grubby fingers on a version I can take home with me I’ll be sure to let you know how the game stands up to that intense scrutiny.
For now the game looks and plays great, and anyone who is a fan of the series, soccer games, or probably even soccer in general, should take a very good look at this one when it comes out at the end of September.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait.
You may remember my review of the FIFA World Cup many moons ago, way back when Australia was gripped in the epidemic known as ‘world cup fever’. After our crushing defeat to the theatrical Italians, I – like many others – picked up a copy of FIFA World Cup, determined to relive the event but with an Australian victory like outcome.
What I found out was that playing soccer games was a lot of fun.
Fast forward to the present day, and while my real life soccer skills are probably still sadly on par with my gaming soccer skills, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on play with FIFA 08.
Take to the field playing as A-Leage teams such as Melbourne Victory.
First up though, we were fortunate enough to have Andrew Wilson, Producer for FIFA 08, showcasing the game to us and pointing out the 5 new features to take note of:
1. Control
Of course, individual ball physics came into play with FIFA 07, but there’s been a lot of requested tweaks and features that make a huge difference. The player can now move laterally with the ball, perform a body feint, step over the ball, and many other impressive movements. In fact, the most impressive feature is the new ball control, featuring a technique not unlike many other current EA games, where you control the movements of the ball and the character by holding the left trigger and moving the right joystick. The possible combinations are vast, and if you time it right the amount of moves you can pull off is fluid and impressive. This is the kind of thing people will waste hours practicing combinations then uploading the videos to the internet (an inbuilt feature of the game in fact).
2. AI
The AI in a sports game is a lot more complex than you think. Each character on the field is evaluating 35 decisions every single frame of play. That’s around 1000 decisions made every second. This is the sort of thing that can only be achieved on the next gen systems, and means that there will be no more ‘cheap tactics’ that give you the ability to score easy goals every game.
3. Content
30 leagues. 600 teams. We’re talking 25% larger than previous versions. Oh, and of course the inclusion of the A-League. That’s kind of a big deal.
4. New ways to Play
Probably the most interesting and ambitious new feature is the ‘Be a Pro’ mode. The game sets you up as a standard player in an allocated position, and you play as the same character through the entire game. No switching to other players, and no moving out of your allocated area. If you’re on the wing, that’s where you stay. If you’re the goalie, you won’t be running up front to try and score a goal. The theory is that eventually people will form regulated teams where each person has a defined position, and they will play as a team would online. Most ambitious is the fact that this mode will only be offered as an offline training mode in FIFA 08, yet EA hope to tweak and get the mode working enough for future versions in order to provide international competitions in 2010.
Their main problem currently is tweaking the mode so it’s fun, and so if you play it online with people you don’t know, everyone at least ‘tries’ to play their positions as opposed to just picking Ronaldo and running straight for the ball. This mode also introduces an intuitive ‘behind the character’ camera angle, arrows suggesting where you need to be to provide optimal support for your team, and a nice little touch where the camera sinks down low and does the ‘Gears of War’ style movement when you have the ball and start running with it.
5. Online
The Interactive Leagues are back, this time with custom leagues, however no 5 by 5 play in Australia. Something to do with Australia having different servers, it seems we are stuck with 11 x 11. Of interest and previously mentioned are the capabilities to upload videos to the EA website, so if you do something cool in the game, you can record it and post it simply through the Xbox or PlayStation online networks.
That's some seriously detailed hammys
All of those new features are exciting of course, but it was time for me to get some actual hands on time with the game itself. First things first, it is pretty when up close to the characters. The new ball control is fluid and convincing, and the movement of the players doesn’t feel stilted or harsh in the slightest. The ball control itself takes a bit of getting used to, but after a bit of time on the practice pitch I managed to do a front flip rainbow kick – a Ronaldo signature move – which made me jump up and down like a little schoolgirl.
The 11 x 11 game I played was a bit of a blur, as it took me awhile to get used to the controls again. The ball control seems a bit tough to pull off while mid game, although that might just be because I was a bit clumsy while attempting the moves. Anyone who previously used the d-pad to control players is out of luck, as it isn’t supported and probably won’t be again anytime soon – an issue that I really don’t think is an issue at all.
I can’t remember if this was in previous versions or not, but one of the most handy features I found while playing was the little marker that appears on the ground when the ball is in the air that indicated where it’s going to land. Being able to direct my players to the marker as opposed to guessing where the ball would land made things heaps easier, and consequently a lot more fun.
Red Bull giving the players wings could be an unfair advantage in the final build.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the fact I’m currently on a detox, I was unable to test the 4 player ‘sitting on a couch with mates while drinking’ capabilities of the game, however as soon as I get my grubby fingers on a version I can take home with me I’ll be sure to let you know how the game stands up to that intense scrutiny.
For now the game looks and plays great, and anyone who is a fan of the series, soccer games, or probably even soccer in general, should take a very good look at this one when it comes out at the end of September.